NAVIJO

Tuesday, April 03, 2018

The arrival of spring signals the arrival
of pollen. To me, it means allergies. I am allergic to tree pollen and avoid
going out during pollen heavy days. This past weekend was nice and sunny, and
we thought of taking the kids out to play in the park. However with the
air heavy on pollen I had to stay back while my wife and kids went out. With
the kids out I sat down to watch a science fiction horror movie. Over the
course of the weekend, I ended up watching 3 horror movies, 2 of which were
recommendation based on my previous watch item.

My allergies were acting up by the time I
reached home from office yesterday (Monday). I took an allergy medication before
going to bed, which as a side effect causes marked drowsiness. The medication
helped me breathe easy and I was asleep soon.

I was woken by the sound of an alarm this
morning. The sound was not defying to get me out of the bed, but was enough to
wake me up. I looked around and it was still dark. There was heaviness in my
head due to the allergy medication but that did not bother me as much as the
alarm did. The alarm bothered me because there is no clock in our home which
makes that particular sound. So where was this sound coming from? I looked
around in the dark but could not make out anything. The alarm suddenly stopped
sounding. I thought maybe it from our neighbors’ house and went back to sleep.
I was woken up again with that same alarm sound and this time too it was still
dark and no sign of where that sound was coming from. I thought I was dreaming
and rubbed my eyes but I could feel my hands and face. So I was definitely not
dreaming. The alarm sound stopped again and I quickly pulled the blanket over
my head and tried to sleep. It was complete silence but I could not sleep this
time. That alarm sound however faint it was, felt sinister.

I was trying to put my thoughts to rest
when that alarm started again. I sat up on the bed and looked around. It was
dark and nothing was moving. There was suddenly a sound of someone running which
came from the living room, but I recognized that sound. It is from the dog
which stays in the house above us. But what if that sound was not of that dog
but actually came from within our house? I thought of getting out of the bed
when the alarm stopped again. I wondered what to do next when I noticed a faint
white light at the other end of the room. Just like that alarm, the light went
on and off maybe 2-3 times. Was this some kind of a game? What was happening?
At some point both the alarm and the light stopped; and the whole room was quiet
and dark again. I quickly went back to bed and pulled the blanket over my head.
All this was new and had never happened to me. In a moment every scary scene
from each of those horror movies played through my mind. Was my blanket
getting pulled? Am I hanging in the air as they show in the movies? Was that a
ghost standing at the corner? I tried to tell myself I don’t believe in ghosts
and all this was just a bad dream. I had started to calm my mind when I suddenly
heard a sound and felt like someone was standing right next to me and I could
feel his breathing. It sent shivers down my spine. I lay still on the bed with
the blanket over my head. The scariest scenes from the horror movie were now
replaying in my head.

This is not me; I told myself. I don’t
believe in ghosts and a horror movie cannot scare me. I pulled the blanket off and
stared in the dark. There was no one next to me. I could almost hear my heart
beating. I am better than this; I told myself. I got off the bed. The air from
the AC duct hit my head; a sign of relief. Suddenly I saw the same white light
at the corner. I went to check and it was my cell phone. I had put my cell
phone on silent mode and face down when I slept and it glowed every time there
was a message. I put the phone face down again and went into the living room.
There was no one there. I switched on the light and looked at the front door
and the porch door. Everything seemed fine. I was about to switch off the light
when that alarm sounded again. It was loud and seemed to come from the play
room. My kids use the play room to play but sleep in their own room. So no one
should be in the play room yet there was a sound. The door of the playroom was
closed. I slowly opened the playroom door and switched on the light. There were
toys scattered but no one in the room. The alarm sounded louder and closer now.
I looked in the direction of the alarm and there was a bag.

It suddenly occurred to me what might be
making that sound. My wife had brought a watch as a gift for someone; maybe it
was that watch alarm sounding off. I tore the wrapping paper and pulled that
watch out. The watch had different alarm modes and it was indeed set to go off
at 2:48 AM on Tuesday, with a 10 sec snooze mode. So this was the problem. Today
being Tuesday the alarm went off at 2:48 AM and it snoozed every 10 seconds. I
fiddled with the watch for some time but was unable to switch off the alarm.
The only option left was to go through the user manual. I patiently went
through the user manual and finally at around 3 AM this morning I was able to
switch off the watch alarm putting an end to that ghostly sound.

Sunday, March 04, 2018

I recently attended a meeting of a
small group of technology and domain experts. The meeting was to focus on a
problem statement and dissect it under different technology and domain lenses. Each
person was from a different field and bought a unique expertise to the table. It
was evident they had spent years in their focus area assimilating and growing
their knowledge. Very quickly I had realized ‘expert’ was too modest a noun to
describe them. The meeting which had started as an amazing experience had soon
turned into a humbling experience for me.

I have been thinking about that
experience for the last few days and seem to have found a correlation between
that meeting and Expert systems/Artificial intelligence-Machine learning
(AL-ML) system. That meeting to me resembled an expert system building pattern where
experts pour their knowledge and experience to solve a complex problem.

As I thought more, my mind started
drawing random parallels between that meeting and expert systems and generally wandered
into the direction of the expert systems. Every expert system (or an AI-ML
system) when introduced, first sparks a sense of bewilderment. It is approached
with a set of presumptions and questions, bordering disdain. As the expert
system proves and grows with promise, the disdain soon turns into an
admiration for the expert system. The user starts appreciating the system and
its potential. Often the admiration might even give way to distrust. A distrust
might arise from a question of job security or individual well being or even
from a question of ultimate survival. Take the example of Self-driving cars;
they were initially struck down as a work of fiction. But as the self-driving
promise held ground, it turned into an admiration. Distrust too found way in
the hearts of the car enthusiasts who hated the very thought of sitting in the
back seat and not at the wheel.Isn’t it
a similar pattern for most AI-ML systems, maybe with only slight variations?
But one stand out feature among all these systems is the sense of humbleness
that they evolve. Once you accept and understand the power of expert systems,
they undeniably lead to a sense of humbleness. The user is humbled at the sheer
talent of these systems.

As my mind searched for parallels,
some things started falling out - the non-parallels. The non-parallels in terms
of human emotions, or spontaneous thoughts, or even simple non-verbal
expressions. Are there parallels to these? Even two humans can rarely experience
the same levels of emotion. Any level of admiration, distrust or even humbleness
that the AI-ML systems evoke, cannot replace these simple non-parallels. It is
these subtle non-parallels that defines us as humans, and separates us humans
from the AI-ML systems. Maybe at some
point in the future when the AI-ML systems have significantly evolved, they too
might hit a point of humbleness. The humbleness that might arise in them from the
fact that non-parallels exit between them and the humans.

Sunday, January 21, 2018

We had
record snow of almost 8 to 10 inches in our city this week. It snowed nearly
the entire day covering the streets, lawns and trees like a thick white carpet.
It was a beautiful sight, to see everything white and glowing. But that sight was
short lived. The walk ways were quickly cleared and people thronged the lawns
to play in the snow. The beautiful snow carpet was trampled and almost
destroyed. The temperature increased today and all snow melted. I am now
waiting for the next snow.

Friday, November 17, 2017

We love to shop at a particular warehouse chain of
which I am a member for several years now. If we need something and it is
available at that place, we buy it; no cross shopping, no price comparisons and
no second thoughts. I love this warehouse to a point where if I have nothing to
do, the first thought that comes to my mind is to take a stroll at this place.
My wife and daughter are not so much of a fan, but my 3 year old son seems to
like going to this warehouse. The attraction for him seems to be the smileys
that the associates draw for him on the sales receipt. He almost snatches the
receipt from us and rushes to the store exit to get a smiley on it.

I was looking for something a few days back
and had called the warehouse location I frequent, to check if they had it in
stock. I was told, that location had ran out of stock and was directed to a
different location. My wife and daughter stayed back, and only my son and I went
to the other location. I found what I was looking for and bought it. My son
promptly took the sales receipt from me and handed it over to the associate at
the exit. The associate checked the items and gave back the receipt without
drawing a smiley. My son took that receipt and turned it over looking for the
smiley. He handed the receipt back to the associate, but the associate gave it
back saying it was reviewed. My son started crying that there is no smiley on
the receipt. There were not many people in the line behind me and so I
requested the associate to put a smiley on that receipt for my son. The
associate shook his head and said he was busy.

I remember my daughter used to look for smileys on
the receipt when she was little. We have been to several locations of this
warehouse across the country and in a rare instance when the associate forgets
to draw a smiley, they would always put it once the kid requests for it. It
only takes a few seconds to draw a smiley. I have seen associates draw a smiley
every time a kid hands them the receipt, however long the exit line is. This is
the first time I have seen an associate return the receipt to a kid without
putting the smiley even after been requested. I tried to console my son as we
walked back to the car but he did not stop crying. Once I put him into the car
seat I drew a smiley on the receipt and give it to him. He stopped crying only
after seeing that smiley.

I had forgotten about that incident until this
last weekend when I told my family that we will drive to this warehouse. My son
heard me and said he did not want to come as there is no smiley. I was
surprised and ignored at first, but he did not budge. He was clear he will not
come and we finally decided not to go.

I have a membership at a large online retailer. I
also have membership with 2 different traditional warehouse chains. In
addition, I have a membership with a traditional bookstore. I prefer a brick
and mortar store over an online retailer, unless I am in a hurry, or there is
an extremely good deal online. I have an e-book reader but I prefer buying
books at the traditional book store, unless I specifically need an e-book. My
reason for this preference is that, the way the online retailers are growing,
my kids might not have anything called a mall or a brick and mortar store by
the time they grow up. I have nothing against the online retailers, but I am ok
spending a few $ more at a brick and mortar shop just to continue seeing them
around.

I did a little thinking about the smiley incident
and my shopping preference. A traditional store can provide a personal
experience to the shoppers which is not possible in online shopping. This I
think is the single biggest advantage they have to attract kids, the next
generation shoppers, and addict them with shopping at a traditional store.
Hooking the next generation to a brick and mortar store is the only way
traditional stores can ensure survival. And, scribbling a smiley on the sales
receipt for a kid is a great easy way to attract future shoppers.

Since we did not go to the warehouse last week, I
bought the items at the online retailer and they were delivered in 2 days. I
actually saved money and time doing so. If it continues like this, I think I
may cancel my membership at all these traditional stores and shift to a
complete online shopping. I know I will save money doing so; but these
brick and mortar stores will lose 1 current customer and a potential future
customer. And all this for 1 smiley, or lack of it. Wonder what is the price of
1 smiley?

My
son started going to school this week. It was a big day for him and more so for
my wife and me. We went to drop him at the school on his first day and this
poem is about the thoughts I had about the kids, the parents and our school
system in general.

Of all the planets in this
universe we are born in this solar system, on this earth, in a specific city,
go to a specific school, get degrees and create a specific career. From the
moment we are born, our life passes through a broad set of ‘universal’ possibilities
to a narrower path, down through a funnel finally converging to the point of
final rest.

Saturday, August 05, 2017

It’s amazing how quickly kids grow up. What’s really funny is
that I realize my kids are no more those tiny cuties, when we go to the shoe
store every other month because they have outgrown their shoes; Or when we
order pizza home and I realize I had to order a bigger pizza or an additional
pizza compared to the previous order. J

I think the best part with kids is when they ask questions
and I have to research to give an answer. While I feel proud, it drives home
the fact that kids entering our lives is not a time to teach, but a time to
learn and relive our lives.

This poem is for my kiddos who have given me a new
opportunity to learn.

Sunday, April 23, 2017

In my personal opinion, maybe years from now, YES, humans may
end up with a peanut sized brain.

I had posted my thoughts on Artificial Intelligence in my
previous blog post. In an extremely subdued way, I had focused on the economic
aspects of AI particularly in the areas of employment in that post. Even after
several weeks of that post, I have still been thinking about the topic of AI.
My current thoughts have been on the advancements in the field of Internet of
Things (IOT), Machine Learning (ML), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and their
effects on humans as ‘beings’.

Every advancement throughout the human history has been
logically/technically next step over the previous way. If something was done in
one way, the advancement was to do it in a better way or a newer efficient way
to achieve the same thing. Most advancements have been excellent and much
needed; bestowing humans with luxuries their previous generations had not seen.
However I think every advancement also took away something from that generation
of humans. In most cases that adverse side effect of advancement took its toll
on the knowledge, or a process or just the general way of life. For instance, people
mostly forgot how to read latitudes and longitudes or even navigate looking at
the stars, after the advent of GPS. As cell phone use increased, remembering
8-10 phone numbers became a big thing. Starting a fire rubbing stones which was
once a part of daily life is now limited to museums and end of the world survival
lessons.

Extending this thought of side effects of technology to
humans as ‘beings’, I think technology advancements will have a direct impact
on the human brain. As we continue to see advancements in the fields of IOT, AI
and ML, I think most people will start using their brains less and less.
Computers and AI algorithms will continue to learn and improve to ensure they
serve their human masters well; while humans will use their brain less and
depend on the AI algorithms more. Truly speaking isn’t that the real reason for
AI? To take away the ‘human’ element to maximize safety and efficiency? However,
going at this rate I think humans will very soon reach a point where most of us
will use our brains primarily (or should I say ‘Only’?) for watching TV, using
cell phones, eating, sleeping and such basic activities. Machines will do all
the heavy lifting ensuring humans do not stress their brain.

Similar to how a Giraffe got a long neck, I think the human
brain will slowly shrink and might become a ‘vestigial’ organ. A vestigial
organ as per the dictionary, is an organ which had a use once but has lost its
use now. So a human brain might, in my
opinion become more like eyebrow or appendix, a vestigial organ. I do not think
humans will end up brainless as we will continue to use our brain for basic needs, but I
think as the usage of the brain reduces maybe our brain will shrink in size. If
our brain is the size of 2 apples today, maybe it will reduce to the size of 1
apple and gradually to the size of a walnut. Over the next several centuries or
millennia’s our brain might eventually reduce to the size of a peanut.